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The Scottish Ambulance Service A National Board of NHS Scotland

Doc: 2018-04-19 Workforce Equality Monitoring & Update Report 2017 /18

Author: Equalities Manager

Date: 2018-05-17 Version 1.0 Review Date: April 2019

Workforce Equality Monitoring & Update Report

2017/2018





Workforce Equality Monitoring Report 2017/18 Content

Section Page

1 Introduction 3

2 General context 5

3 Summary 6

4 Actions taken and next steps 7

5 Improving our diversity profile 12

6 Improving equality monitoring 16

7 Workforce profile 18

8 Recruitment 25

9 Starters and leavers 28

10 Training 30

11 Discipline and grievance 31

12 Appraisals 33

13 Redeployment 34

14 Conclusion 35

15 Equality and diversity update 36

Appendices 43

1 Equality Act (Specific Duties) (Scotland) Regulations 2012

We welcome comment about our workforce equality monitoring report and would be pleased to discuss any aspect of it with individuals or groups. This document can be provided in another format for example in large print, Braille or summary translation, please contact:

Communication & Engagement Team Scottish Ambulance Service National Headquarters Gyle Square 1 South Gyle Crescent Edinburgh EH12 9EB

0131 314 0000

[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]





1. Introduction The Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) collects equality data from both current workforce and prospective candidates through the recruitment and selection process. This information is collected at the application stage of the recruitment process, at short listed stage, at the appointment stage, through our engagement process and through surveying current staff. The information we collect enables us to;

monitor the diversity of our workforce

take action where any trends / patterns of inequality emerge

monitor our Equality, Diversity and Human Rights Policy

provide evidence to support equality impact assessments

meet our general duties under the Equality Act 2010 As of 27 May 2012, the Equality Act (Specific Duties) (Scotland) Regulations 2012 came into force. Under these duties public authorities like SAS must gather and use employee information to better perform the Public Sector Equality Duty (the general duty) to;

Eliminate discrimination, harassment and victimisation and any other conduct that is prohibited under the Act

Advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not

Foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not

Employee data is monitored across the protected characteristics of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation as defined in the Equality Act 2010. Details of the general duty can be seen at Appendix 1. How we use employee information This report assists SAS to routinely analyse equality monitoring information which helps to identify trends where further action may be required to address any areas of inequality in the workplace thus eliminating potential unlawful discrimination. By capturing equality data during the recruitment process we are able to take any actions required in order to advance equality of opportunity both for staff and external applicants. For example we have been able to monitor the success rate of young people, the largest proportion of applicants, in order to identify any barriers they may face at recruitment stage (see section 3). The collection of equality data highlights areas where there is under representation across the protected characteristics and helps to identify where steps can be taken to improve the diversity of the workforce. The content of this report also provides evidence for consideration when reviewing progress associated with the implementation of equality outcomes and how future outcomes will be developed. For example, disclosure for sexual orientation illustrated that only 2





per cent of staff had disclosed that they belonged to this community and we recognise that there may be barriers to staff feeling they can ‘be themselves’ in the work environment. In response to this one of SAS equality outcomes published in April 2017 – “SAS is more responsive to the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender staff and service users” was developed to address the needs of LGBT staff Equality monitoring data also assists SAS to establish whether actions taken have had a positive impact. The data collected has assisted us in the following ways; - with the examination of recruitment activity across equality groups to establish where candidates have been successful and what further steps can be taken to make improvements. We have also been able to show some improvement in the collection of data, although action taken to improve recruitment rates of some groups was less successful. The mainstreaming report published in April 2017 includes reference to workforce equality monitoring.





2. General context Equality monitoring information has been collected during 2017 – 18 both via the NHS Scotland Standard Application Form and the on line application via My Job Scotland for potential candidates. The equality monitoring and personal details are detached from these forms before candidates are short listed to ensure such details are not taken into account Equality details are also collected on appointment via the staff engagement form and entered on the individual’s personal record. Staff can decline to provide specific details if they wish to do so. Only a limited number of individuals have access to this information for reporting purposes. In July 2017 employee records transferred across from the Computerised Human Resource Information System to the Electronic Employee Service System (eESS). It is anticipated that the self service element to eESS will be implemented in 2019 and we expect this will improve levels of self disclosure when staff will have access to amend their own personal details. This report highlights the data that is currently available for equality monitoring in SAS and where there are gaps in intelligence. Data has been sourced between 1 April 2017 and 31 March 2018. As at 1 April 2018 SAS employed 4,921 staff. The workforce consists of 40 per cent female and 60 per cent male staff. We have seen a steady increase in the number of women employed rising from 31 per cent in 2007 and this is very positive. SAS currently has robust data regarding age and gender however data on the protected characteristics of disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief and sexual orientation is more limited and therefore not covering the whole workforce. We acknowledge that there is still work to do if we are to make further improvements. That said, we are making progress in a range of areas for disclosure and recruitment. The work undertaken by SAS has an impact on the workforce profile. For example, the physical and mental demands of the work carried out by Service staff makes working longer difficult, especially the physical demands of operational roles. This has an impact on the age profile. SAS, unlike other NHS Boards does not have a varied range of alternative roles due to the specific nature of the job. As such this makes it difficult to compare the workforce profile directly with other NHS Health Boards. The SAS age profile is broadly reflective of the working age profile of Scotland with 35 per cent of staff employed between the ages of 45 - 55. With the limited capture of equality data and / or where numbers are small across the protected characteristics it is difficult to draw any meaningful analysis and as a consequence of this the potential to determine fairness in training, grievance, disciplinary, appraisals etc is compromised. Work is in progress to improve the disclosure of equality data and it is recognised that this will not change significantly in the short term. However, we have seen an increase in the percentage of staff disclosing equality information and with sustained action further improvements will be made. Further details of the actions already taken and next steps can be seen at section 3.





3. Summary Progress has been made across a number of areas during the period April 2017 – March 2018.

Improving rates of self disclosure

Improving rates of employee self disclosure of equality monitoring data is important if we are to better analyse recruitment and employment trends and identify appropriate actions to take forward. Progress is being made across a number of protected characteristics including; gender reassignment, religion and belief and sexual orientation. Work continues to reduce the gap in order to have a fuller picture of the diversity of the workforce. At 1 April 2017 42.4 per cent of staff had provided all equality monitoring details and we have seen this increase to 51.4 per cent by 31 March 2018.

Increasing the diversity of the workforce

Increasing the diversity of the workforce is important in order that we have a profile which is more reflective of the population we serve in Scotland. We continue to advertise vacant posts in a variety of ways in order to reach across minority groups and those who have a disability in order to encourage more applications from these communities. We have seen an increase over the last year in the number of applications from minority ethnic groups and from people with a disability. Over time it is hoped that applicants from these groups will continue to increase which will in turn lead to a greater representation across the Service. There has been a steady increase year on year in the number of women employed by SAS with women now representing 40 per cent of the workforce. We have also seen an increase in the proportion of applicants providing all equality information with 97.7 per cent of applicants doing so.

Equality and diversity

A high level summary of equality and diversity work has been included in this report for the first time this year. Equality outcomes were developed and published in April 2017 to cover the four year period between April 2017 and March 2021. Three of the outcomes relate to service delivery and the remaining five to our workforce. Progress is being made against each of the seven equality outcomes.





4. Actions taken and new steps

We said in our 2016/17 workforce equality monitoring report that we would take a number of steps. This is what we did, the results and what we plan to do next.

1. In order to improve equality disclosure rates a plan is in place to increase awareness of this and the importance of collecting the data

Actions Results Next steps

(a)We have continued to use paper copies of the equality monitoring form with pre-paid envelopes to gather equality monitoring data

The percentage of staff who have self disclosed equality data has increased from 42.4 per cent in April 2017 to 51.4 per cent in March 2018.

We will continue to use this method to gather equality monitoring data.

(b) We have engaged with the education and training team delivering learning in practice training to enlist their help to discuss the importance of collecting this data and providing the forms and prepaid envelopes for staff to use.

The education and training team have assisted with this at learning in practice sessions and where courses are delivered for Technicians and Paramedics.

We will continue to engage with staff in this way in order to raise awareness of why we gather the data and to encourage self disclosure.

(c) Other UK ambulance services have had some success when targeting line managers to encourage their teams to provide equality data.

Team Leaders in Glasgow were provided with information, equality forms and pre-paid envelopes for their staff. This has had limited success.

We will follow up with the Glasgow managers to identify where there have been barriers to providing the information. This approach will be adopted elsewhere to establish if there are better responses in other areas.

2. We will continue to advertise posts in a variety of ways to ensure reach across the protected characteristics. In particular we will identify ways in which we can attract more young people to apply for posts with SAS.


(a)We have taken part in recruitment events at schools and colleges during 2017 – 18

The number of applications from young people between the ages of 16 – 25 remains high and continues to be the greatest proportion of all applicants for 2017 - 18

We will continue to take part in recruitment events and attend schools and colleges during 2018 – 19

3. We will investigate why those in 16 - 25 age group applying for posts are least successful at interview stage.


(a)Feedback to those applicants unsuccessful at interview has been provided upon request.

Applications from young people between the ages of 16 - 25 represented 26 per cent of all applications (a decrease from 28 per cent the previous

Application packs of information will be developed for those interested in applying for Ambulance Care Assistant and Special





Immediate feedback has been provided to those candidates failing to complete the fitness test. Details have been added to the recruitment pages on the website regarding fitness testing so that applicants know what to expect. Additional information has also been added to give more detail of the content and expectations regarding attending vocational qualification courses. The frequently asked questions section has been updated to include information about the C1 driving licence and how successful applicants can be provided with a loan to enable them to complete a C1 driving course. All applicants who are not short listed are automatically sent the ‘Why my application was unsuccessful guide’ which provides hints and tips on improving the content of any future applications.

year), the largest proportion of all applications for posts. 12.5 per cent of applicants in this group were short listed. The success rate of this group has decreased from 4 per cent to 3.3 per cent. That is 3.3 per cent of all applicants in this group were successful. This age group is the least successful. We have investigated outcomes for all 16 – 25 year-old applicants. Of these; 3.4 per cent withdrew their application before short listing stage Of those shortlisted;

- 34.5 per cent withdrew before assessment / interview stage

- 38.6 per cent were unsuccessful at assessment/interview stage

Operations Response Team posts. We will attend the Skills Scotland two day recruitment event where we will engage with young people to highlight the recruitment process. With ‘Save a Life for Scotland’ partners we will deliver essential life support sessions in schools providing an opportunity to raise awareness of the Service as a career choice. We will link up with other Ambulance Services to compare approaches and share learning.

4. Applicants wishing to join SAS will be encouraged to provide equality monitoring information.


(a)Details for all staff joining SAS are being captured to ensure that this data is being used to update personal records during the engagement process

A high proportion of applicants – 97.7 per cent, provided equality details across all protected characteristics (previously 95 per cent)

We will continue to monitor details for all staff joining SAS to ensure that this data is being captured by administrative staff during the engagement process.

5. We have identified that there has been an increase in the number of applicants from minority ethnic, disabled groups and applicants disclosing gender reassignment.


(a)We have monitored the number of applicants from

The proportion of applicants from minority ethnic

We will continue to closely monitor the number of





minority ethnic, disabled and transgender backgrounds. Feedback from applicants using the My Job Scotland system has been used to highlight where improvements can be made.

backgrounds has increased from 1.9 to 2.3 per cent (114 more applicants than 2016/17). The proportion of applicants who disclosed a disability has increased from 4 to 8 per cent. (511 more applicants than 2016/17). The proportion of applicants who disclosed gender reassignment has increased from 0.11 to 0.25 per cent (16 more applicants than 2016/17)

applicants from minority ethnic, disabled and transgender backgrounds.

(b)We have analysed success rates of black and minority ethnic groups, disabled and those who have disclosed gender reassignment in order to establish if there are any trends emerging which would warrant further action. A recruitment open day was held at Glasgow Central Mosque and this was targeted at the black and minority ethnic community and third sector organisations and community groups. We have worked with CEMVO and the Employability programme for black and minority ethnic women. The aim of these sessions was to provide details about opportunities with SAS, how to apply for posts and what to expect during the recruitment process.

2.4 per cent of applicants from black and minority ethnic groups were successful. 3.5 per cent of applicants from disabled backgrounds were successful. Of the 22 applicants disclosing gender reassignment, 5 were shortlisted but none were successful. In comparison the success rate for all applicants applying for posts during 2017/18 was 5.6 per cent. At short listing stage the outcomes for applicants from black and minority ethnic groups were as follows;

- 25 per cent (9) withdrew their application before assessment /interview

- 61 per cent (22) were unsuccessful at assessment /interview

At short listing stage the outcomes for applicants from

We will continue to monitor success rates of black and minority ethnic, disabled and those who have disclosed gender reassignment. We will develop our links with third sector organisations and community groups in order to continue dialogue regarding job opportunities with SAS.





disabled groups were as follows;

- 38.5 per cent (67) withdrew their application before assessment /interview

- 46.5 per cent (81) were unsuccessful at assessment /interview

6. A high proportion of disabled applicants are being short listed for interview This is due to SAS Job Interview Guarantee Scheme (JIG) being in place to support applicants who are short listed if they meet the minimum criteria for the post.


(a)The recruitment team now holds supporting details of outcomes for all applicants enabling feedback to be provided by managers as appropriate. Individuals using the JIG scheme are contacted by email and telephone to discuss requirements for interview. The outcomes for disabled applicants are analysed in order to identify any barriers within the recruitment process requiring further action. The Customer Satisfaction Survey now includes a question regarding the job interview guarantee scheme. This survey will be generated through My Job Scotland and will enable us to compare the experiences of the recruitment process for disabled and non disabled applicants. A guide for managers recruiting disabled people is in place.

For the period 2017/18, 23.5 per cent of disabled applicants were short listed for interview and the success rate was 3.5 per cent. Of those applicants who disclosed no disability 19.2 per cent were short listed for interview and the success rate was 5.7 per cent. Disabled applicants are being better supported during the recruitment process with feedback and follow up regarding adjustments for assessment / interview. Of those JIG and non JIG applicants completing the recruitment satisfaction survey overall experience of recruitment was the same with those who had not been selected for interview expressing dissatisfaction regarding that rather than the process.

Recruitment and selection training content has been revised and will be delivered for recruiting managers during 2018/19. This includes more specific detail around reasonable adjustments and unconscious bias.

7. It is recognised that the workforce profile is not very diverse particularly with regard to





the number of disabled staff and those from minority ethnic groups. With this in mind we will explore ways of using positive action to increase the number of applications for employment from as wide a range of the community as possible. Further details can be seen at section 4.





4. Improving our diversity profile

It is accepted that there is still work to be done to improve the capture of equality information to enable a fuller analysis of workforce data. That said the equality profile of SAS is not very diverse particularly with regard to the number of women, young people, those from minority ethnic groups and those who have a disability. We said in our 2016/17 workforce equality monitoring report that we would take a number of steps in relation to improving our diversity profile. This is what we did, the results and what we plan to do next.

1. Identify and attend specific careers events / fairs in areas with higher minority ethnic communities.


A number of events have been attended including; Glasgow Central Mosque, Careers Fair at Glasgow City Chambers (organised by BEMIIS the ethnic minority umbrella body supporting the development of the ethnic minority voluntary sector) and Edinburgh Police and Partners Open Day.

There has been a slight increase 1.9 to 2.3 per cent of applicants disclosing that they are from black and minority ethnic groups

We will continue to attend careers events / fairs which are in areas with higher minority ethnic communities.

2. Hold a focus group with interested staff to identify any actions which we could take forward to encourage a more diverse mix of applicants.


Suggestions were made by staff who joined a short life working group to consider how SAS might attract and retain a more diverse workforce. The following actions have been taken in response to that. We have established links with BEMIS, CEMVO and Lanarkshire Enterprise and recruitment information is being circulated through these networks. Community Resilience department have been provided with recruitment information so that they can pass details on at community events.

1.8 per cent of staff have disclosed a disability (the same as 2017) 0.55 per cent of staff have disclosed they are from black and minority ethnic groups (0.5 per cent in 2017) Managers have reported a better understanding of their responsibilities with regard to the recruitment of disabled people.





The Recruitment Guide for managers has been revised to include detail regarding supporting disability in recruitment and the workplace.

3. Develop a strategy in keeping with the Scottish Government initiative to employ 15 Modern Apprentices by July 2017. In line with Skills Development Scotland Equality Action Plan we will aim to increase the employability for young disabled people and those from minority ethnic communities.


We have worked with Skills Development Scotland to establish a recruitment process and programme for a Modern Apprentice.

A Modern Apprentice has joined SAS and is working in the procurement department.

We will identify further opportunities for Modern Apprentices across SAS particularly in relation to support services. Recruiting managers will be asked to routinely consider whether vacancies can be filled with a Modern Apprentice. Materials relating to the Modern Apprentice scheme and benefits of this will be added to the recruitment pages on @SAS

The use of social media to advertise posts has been increased.

This mode of communication is used widely by young people.

We will continue to reference our recruitment activity through social media channels

4. Utilise contacts with Disability Equality Scotland (DES) and the Scottish Ahlul Bayt Society (SABS) to identify ways of advertising recruitment vacancies.


We have worked with third sector organisations and community groups to raise awareness of SAS, provide recruitment information and advertise posts

We are seeing a greater number of black and minority ethnic and disabled applicants for posts.

Our work with third sector organisations and community groups will continue.

5. Investigate other alternative ways of advertising through contacts with the National Ambulance Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Network (NALGBT)


The NALGBTN has been developed and is accessible to all staff. Details of events and activities are profiled on this website.

Lesbian, gay and bisexual applicants accounted for 5 per cent of all applicants (5.4 per cent in 2016/17)

We explore further ways of advertising vacancies to this group





6. Implement a new recruitment application system to provide improved IT access from a wider range of devices and to improve the quality and quantity of equality monitoring information available.


Recruitment reporting options through the My Job Scotland have been utilised during 2017/18 to provide recruitment updates.

This has helped SAS to target activity in order to raise the profile of the Service with particular communities e.g. black and minority ethnic groups. Equality monitoring information has been provided by 97.7 per cent of applicants.

7. Undertake a procurement exercise to tender for a supplier to introduce a standard cognitive entrance test for Technicians to open up the vocational qualification model of training and replace the formal qualification requirement.


We are reconsidering our proposal in order to identify a number of suppliers who may be able to provide a test which is compatible with the My Job Scotland platform taking in to account potential cost implications and practical application.

8. Increase the use of social media to advertise vacancies.


Social media channels have been utilised to broaden our recruitment advertising reach.

There has been a significant increase in the number of applications made for posts. In 2016/17 the recruitment team processed 5,070 applications and during 2017/18 the number of applicants increased to 9,114.

We will continue to use social media channels to highlight recruitment opportunities. Establish a Linked–in page which will assist the Service to source and recruit talent and raise awareness of the Service.

9. Ensure all selection panels have a gender mix.


The gender mix on selection panels has been monitored throughout the year.

46 per cent of panels had a mix of male and female panel members. 35 per cent of panels were male only and 18 per cent female only. For operational reasons it was

We will continue to encourage recruiting managers to plan





not possible to ensure an equal mix of male /female panel members. Panel members are usually at Area Service Manager level and there are less female staff in this cohort.





5. Improving equality monitoring The table below illustrates the gaps in disclosure rates across the different protected characteristics. Please note that since the last report, we have introduced eESS (Electronic Employee Support System) which is a national workforce management information system and have transitioned from the HR information system known as CHRIS. Consequently, we are currently in the process of setting up new standard reports. The information below therefore is different than previously due to the migration of data from one system to another.

Protected characteristic

Percentage self disclosed 2016



Percentage unknown / prefer not to answer 2016



Age 99.8 100 100 0.19 0 0

Disability 84.5 85.6 79.3 15.5 14.4 20.7

Gender reassignment

51 51 69.2 49 49 30.8

Race 81 83 79 19 17 21

Religion or belief

37 43 50 63 57 50

Sex 100 100 100 0 0

Sexual orientation

36 43 44 64 57 56

Progress is being made albeit slowly to increase staff self disclosure rates. As at 31 March 2018, 51.4 per cent of staff had provided all equality monitoring details compared with 42.4 per cent in April 2017. The most striking differences between the disclosure rates and the total workforce establishment are for religion and belief and sexual orientation. However, as these protected characteristics have been added for equality monitoring purposes within the last 7 years together with gender reassignment there will be a significant number of staff who have never been asked questions relating to these as yet. They will have completed very different monitoring forms when they commenced employment with SAS. It is encouraging to see improvements have been made in disclosure rates for gender reassignment, religion or belief and sexual orientation. Staff applying for posts during their employment will complete these details at application stage and personal records are updated accordingly. The new Talent Link system (My Job Scotland) enables the capture of equality information provided by applicants in one place and has removed the necessity for the recruitment team to input the data on to a separate system manually.





Next steps We said in our 2016/17 workforce equality monitoring report that we would take a number of steps. This is what we did, the results and what we plan to do next.

1. Develop further material to highlight the importance of providing equality details that can be put on the intranet.


Resource materials have been used with equality monitoring forms and on @SAS to explain the importance of providing this data. An article was included in Response magazine to highlight the need to gather this data.

There has been an increase in disclosure rates

2. Utilise opportunities during staff training to ask individuals to provide equality information, for example at forth coming iMatter and Equality and Diversity Workshops.


Opportunities have been taken at training events to encourage staff to complete equality monitoring forms.

There has been an increase in disclosure rates.

Opportunities at training events will be utilised to raise awareness and encourage staff to disclose this information.

3. For staff attending learning in practice sessions provide equality monitoring forms and prepaid envelopes for the clinical team to distribute.


Activity in his area has been limited as we have focussed more on engaging with equality groups to raise awareness and interest in SAS in order to increase diversity of those applying for posts.

There has been an increase in disclosure rates

We will focus on this in the coming year in order to embed this in our practice.

4. In addition to Forth Valley identify and agree with local management teams which sub divisional areas to prioritise for additional support.


Work with Ambulance Control Centre and West Central managers has been undertaken.

The results have been limited. We will revisit this with managers to identify any barriers and identify other areas where work can be focussed to improve disclosure rates.





6. Workforce Profile

6.1 Age Chart 1

The chart illustrates the age distribution of all staff. Seventy one per cent of staff are age 44 and over (69 per cent in 2017). The majority of women employed fall within the ages of 40 – 54 (52 per cent) with the majority of men working between the ages of 45 – 59 (53 per cent). The most under represented groups in terms of age are those between 16 - 24 (3 per cent) and those over the age of 65 (1.9 per cent). This spread of staff across the age groups is very similar to that reported for 2016/17. The charts below illustrate the age distribution of staff by full time and part time. Chart 2

It can be seen that for full time staff there is a more even split of female / male staff in the younger age groups with more male staff in the older groups. Ninety per cent of staff work on a full time basis.





Chart 3

The number of staff working part time has decreased and represents 10 per cent of the total compared with 12.9 per cent in 2017, the majority of which are women (58 per cent). The majority of women working on a part time basis are between the ages of 40 – 54 and the majority of men working part time are between the ages of 55 – 65+. Chart 4

The chart profiles the age distribution of SAS workforce from 2013 to 2018 The number of staff over the age of 46 has increased over this period and this trend has been consistent as we have seen more staff with long periods of service retire from SAS. There has also been an increase in the number of staff between the ages of 16 – 30. Following the trend across the years it can be seen that the overall age profile of the workforce is increasing in age and this is consistent with NHS Scotland.





6.2 Disability The percentage of staff disclosing a disability has remained the same at 1.8 per cent. Across NHS Scotland, 0.8 per cent of staff have disclosed a disability. The percentage of the Scottish population with a long term, activity limiting health problem or disability was 19.6 per cent at the Census in 2011 (20.3 per cent in 2001) In keeping with the Disability Confident Standard we write to staff on an annual basis under the ‘Positive about disabled people’ initiative. This scheme helps to encourage individuals with a disability to discuss this with their line manager to establish if any assistance can be provided to help them in the workplace by way of reasonable adjustments. The percentage of staff who have chosen not to provide details of their disability has increased from 14.4 per cent (2016 -17) to 20.7 per cent. 6.3 Pregnancy and maternity Chart 5

Number of women on maternity leave during 2017/18

Number of women who returned to work

Number of women who returned to work on a flexible basis

Percentage of total

40 60 22 37

The chart illustrates the number of women who have taken maternity leave during the period 1 April 2017 and 31 March 2018, those who have returned and the number returning on a more flexible basis. Some of the women who have commenced maternity leave during 2016/17 have returned to work during 2017/18 and others will be due to return in the coming months. The women who returned to work on a flexible basis did so on reduced hours, different shift patterns or by working on different days of the week. 6.4 Race Chart 6

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

Non disclosure by percentage

16 17 17 19 21 19 19 17 21

The 2011 Census indicated that 93 per cent of the people in Scotland stated that they were born in the UK with 83 per cent of these stating that they were born in Scotland. Ethnicity cannot be identified by place of birth. Four per cent of people in Scotland were from minority groups (Census 2011), an increase of two per cent since the 2001 Census. The percentage of staff who have chosen not to provide details of their ethnicity has increased to 21 per cent (includes those who prefer not to answer and where details are unknown). Across





NHS Scotland non disclosure of ethnicity accounts for 31.2 per cent of all staff (includes those who prefer not to answer and where details are unknown) As data on the ethnicity of staff is incomplete it is not possible to determine the exact percentage of staff from different ethnic groups. Of the 4,921 staff employed as at 1 April 2018, 0.55 per cent disclosed they were from black and minority ethnic (BME) backgrounds (0.50 per cent in 2017). Across NHS Scotland 3.2 per cent of staff have disclosed they are from BME backgrounds. Chart 7

Ethnic origin Number Percentage

Indian 27

0.55

Pakistani

Bangladeshi

Chinese

Any other Asian background

Caribbean

African

Any other Black background

Any other ethnic background

Any Mixed background

Other White background 53 1.07

White Irish 27 0.54

White other British 475 9.65

White Scottish 3,314 67.3

Declined to disclose information / unknown 1,025 21

The chart illustrates the ethnicity of SAS workforce as at 1 April 2018. There were 27 staff from BME groups and 3869 from non BME groups. 6.5 Religion or belief Religion or belief is unknown for 50 per cent of the workforce (includes those who prefer not to answer this question). Whilst disclosure rates have increased from 27.5 per cent in 2015 to 50 per cent in 2018 there are still significant gaps. Across NHS Scotland religion or belief is unknown for 41 per cent of the workforce. Staff disclosing no religion or belief accounted for 21 per cent. Across NHS Scotland 19.5 per cent of staff disclosed no religion or belief. Scotland remains a place of diverse religious and faith communities, although those having no religion increased to 36.7 per cent in the 2011 census (27.8 per cent in 2001)





Chart 8

The chart illustrates that no religion and Church of Scotland represented the largest groups of those staff disclosing. PNA* denotes prefer not to answer / unknown

6.6 Gender Chart 9

There has been a steady increase in headcount and the chart above shows the number of women employed by SAS rising from 1214 in 2007 (31 per cent of total) to 1960 in 2018 (40 per cent of total). Historically the Service has been predominantly male compared with the rest of the NHS Scotland which is predominantly female (77.2 per cent as at March 2018). Nursing and midwifery posts accounted for the majority of female staff.





6.7 Band and gender Chart 10

The chart illustrates the gender split by salary pay band. Women are represented across all salary pay bandswith the exception of salary band 8D. Career progression can be seen as staff remain with SAS over long periods. As a greater number of women join SAS it is likely that we will see a greater distribution of women across more senior positions. Of the executive team 60 per cent are women and 40 per cent are men. The proportion of women employed in bands 6 - 8 has continued to increase slightly and now represents 4.4 per cent of the total compared with 4.3 per cent in 2017 (1.3 per cent in 2007).Further details relating to gender and pay bands can be seen in the Equal Pay Statement here. 6.8 Sexual orientation Chart 11

Sexual Orientation Staff in post Percentage

Bisexual 23 0.46

Gay 41 0.83

Heterosexual 2078 42

Lesbian 27 0.54

Other 8 0.16

Declined to disclose /unknown

2,744 56

Sexual orientation is unknown for 56 per cent of the workforce. Disclosure rates have improved from 26.5 per cent in 2015 to 44 per cent in 2018. Across NHS Scotland sexual orientation has been disclosed for 53.5 per cent of all staff. Whilst there remains no official data on the numbers of people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or intersex (LBGTI) - various estimates have been made. For example Stonewall Scotland suggest a LGBT figure of between 5 - 7 per cent while the Scottish Household Survey suggests an LGB population of around 1 per cent





although the question relating to sexual orientation was added to the survey in 2011 and it is thought that the figures are likely to under-report. In actual terms the percentage is likely to be somewhere between the two estimates. Of the staff at SAS 2 per cent have disclosed that they are from the lesbian, gay, bisexual community compared with 1.6 per cent for staff across NHS Scotland. The chart above illustrates the sexual orientation of staff by number and percentage. 6.9 Marriage and civil partnership Chart 12

Marriage and civil partnership

Staff in post Percentage

Civil partnership 28 0.56

Married 2,436 49.5

Other * 2,008 40.8

Declined to disclose/unknown

449 9.12

* Includes divorced, separated, single or widowed

Disclosure rates for marriage and civil partnership have increased from 73 per cent (2016/17) to 91 per cent in 2018.

We will continue to monitor marital / civil partnership status as this is one of the protected characteristics included in the Equality Act 2010 and is part of the public sector equality duty in respect of the requirement to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination.





7. Recruitment The recruitment team dealt with 9,114 applications for employment during the period 2017/18 (5, 070 in 2016/17) and 338 roles were advertised. Of these 5.6 per cent were successful compared with 8.6 per cent the previous year. Over 3,500 applications were received for Trainee Technician post vacancies (128) Steps have been taken to advertise posts more widely to attract a more diverse mix of applicants. Attendance at recruitment fairs and developing links with schools and colleges has helped to sustain the number of younger people applying for posts. Examination of recruitment data across equality groups is undertaken on the basis of:

number of applications

number of applications shortlisted

number of candidates successful at interview stage 7.1 Recruitment by Age Chart 13

The chart illustrates the number of applicants from each age group against their respective success to short listing stage and being offered posts. Chart 14 16-

25 26 - 30

31 - 35

36 - 40

41 - 45

46 - 50

51 - 55

56 - 60

61 -65

66 – 70 +

PNA/ UK*

Applied 2349 1818 1152 914 882 815 585 333 107 8 151

Short listed 295 296 222 212 237 205 174 88 26 1 37

Successful 79 89 70 56 83 61 44 20 6 0 8

* PNA - prefer not to answer / unknown

The largest proportion of applicants came from the 16 - 25 age group and these represented 25.7 per cent of the total (28 per cent during 2016/17). The applicants shortlisted accounted for





12.5 per cent (24 per cent in 2016/17) and 3.3 per cent of the total applicants in this group were offered posts. This is a decrease from 4 per cent who were successful in this group in the previous year. Conversely for applicants within 56 - 60 age group (3.6 per cent of total) success rates were higher at 6 per cent. Thereafter the most successful groups were those aged between 41 – 45 (9.6 percent of total), 46 – 50 (8.9 per cent of total) and 51 – 55 (6.4 per cent of total). Collectively these represented 25 per cent of the total applicants with a success rate of 8.2 per cent. The success rate for all applicants was 5.6 per cent. 7.2 Recruitment - Disability The percentage of applicants disclosing a disability increased from 4 to 8 per cent. Of these 23.5 per cent were shortlisted (39 per cent previously) and 3.5 per cent of the total applicants in this group were successful (6 per cent previously). The Service complies with the Disability Confident Standard and applicants who are disabled can be considered under the Job Interview Guarantee initiative if they meet the essential criteria for the post and therefore a greater proportion of disabled applicants go through to interview stage compared with other groups. The number of applicants who did not answer this question or preferred not to say decreased from 3.4 to 0.8 per cent of the total. 7.3 Recruitment - Gender reassignment We have seen an increase in the number of applicants disclosing gender reassignment during the period April 2017 to March 2018, 23 per cent of which were short listed but not successful. Those applicants who did not answer this question or preferred not to say reduced from 7 per cent in 2016 – 17 to 2 per cent in 2017 – 18. 7.4 Race Chart 15 Year White

Scottish White other British

White Irish Any other white background

Black & minority ethnic

Prefer not to answer / unknown

2014 2,497 328 53 51 56 31

2015 4,112 529 64 88 81 162

2016 3,889 408 56 82 76 163

2017 4,221 442 58 126 98 125

2018 7,866 723 54 200 212 59

There has been an increase in the number of black and minority ethnic applicants to 2.3 cent of the total (1.9 per cent in 2016/17). Of these 17 per cent were short listed (32 per cent previously) and 2.3 per cent of the total were offered posts (7 per cent previously) compared with 5.5 per cent of white Scottish applicants. There has been a slight decrease in the percentage of applicants disclosing other white ethnicity from 2.5 per cent (2016/17) to 2.2 per cent in 2017/18. Of these 19.5 were short listed and 4 per cent were successful. The percentage of applicants who either did not answer this question or preferred not to disclose their ethnicity decreased from 2.4 (in 2016/17) to 0.6 per cent.





7.5 Recruitment - Religion or belief Applicants who indicated a religion of Church of Scotland represented 19 per cent of all applicants (21 per cent 2016/17). Of these 7 per cent were successful (9.5 per cent 2016/17). Applicants indicating a religion of Roman Catholic made up 13 per cent of total applicants (12 per cent 2016/17). Of these 5 per cent were successful (9 per cent in 2016/17). 7.6 Recruitment - Sexual orientation Applicants who disclosed their sexual orientation as lesbian, gay, bisexual or other represented 5 per cent of the total (5.4 per cent 2016/17) Of this group 7 per cent were successful (9.5 per cent 2016 /17). Four per cent of all applicants did not answer this question or preferred not to answer (5 per cent 2016/17). 7.7 Recruitment - Gender

The proportion of women applying for posts decreased slightly from 49 per cent (2016/17) to 48.5 per cent. The success rate for women was 5 per cent (7.3 per cent 2016/17) compared with 6 per cent for men (10 per cent 2016/17). Chart 16

The chart illustrates the number of men and women who applied, were short listed and were successful between 2014/15 and 2017/18. There has been a steady increase in the number of women applying for posts over the last three years. It is encouraging to see that the gender split of applicants is much more even than this has been in the past.





8. Starters and leavers

8.1 Age Chart 17

The chart below illustrates that there are more young people joining SAS and more older people leaving. As stated earlier, this is because of the increasing impact of the nature of SAS work which is very physical for the majority of staff and there is a higher proportion of older staff reaching retirement age. 8.2 Disability Of the staff joining the Service 0.19 per cent disclosed they had a disability and of those leaving 1.4 per cent disclosed disability. 8.3 Gender reassignment None of the staff joining or leaving SAS disclosed that they had undergone gender re-assignment. 8.4 Race The pattern of those joining and leaving SAS by ethnicity is broadly reflective of the workforce profile with one member of staff joining and none of the leavers disclosing they are from black and minority ethnic backgrounds.





8.5 Religion or belief Chart 18

The chart illustrates the number of starters and leavers by religion or belief. Of those staff joining the Service 47 per cent disclosed religion or belief with only 29 per cent of those leaving doing so. There is a similar pattern of religion and belief for those joining and leaving the Service. The chart illustrates that of those joining SAS 25 per cent have disclosed that they do not have a religion with 11 per cent of leavers doing so. 8.6 Sexual Orientation Of those staff joining the Service 45 per cent disclosed sexual orientation with 23 per cent of those leaving doing so. This suggests staff are more willing to provide equality data at recruitment and engagement stage. 8.7 Gender Chart 19





The chart illustrates the number of starters and leavers by gender. The percentage of women joining SAS increased to 45 per cent from 44 per cent in 2017. Women leaving SAS accounted for 33 per cent which is the same proportion as in 2017. The number of female staff has steadily increased over the last few years and now accounts for 40 per cent of the total. Fifty two per cent of those leaving the Service did so on a voluntary basis with 22 per cent leaving for reason of age/early retirement and 14 per cent doing so on the grounds of ill health.

9. Training

The following breakdown covers training attended by staff across SAS including those who attended the new vocational qualification programmes delivered across regions. 9.1 Age Chart 20

The chart illustrates the number of staff who undertook training by age group. From the data available age does not seem to have an influence on the incidence of training opportunities. For example the vocational qualification programme (Ambulance Trainee Technician) attracted a broad range of students. Twenty eight per cent of these were age 18 to 25 and 47 per cent were over the age of 30. Those in the 16 to 25 age range received most training. The vocational qualification courses attracted both internal and external applicants and those commencing the course are employed by SAS. As a consequence, SAS attracts a broader range of students than those reported by most undergraduate Paramedic programmes in the UK where students tend to be under the age of 25.





9.2 Disability Three per cent of staff who disclosed a disability took part in training. This is higher than the establishment of 1.8 per cent. 9.3 Gender reassignment None of the staff taking part in training disclosed they had undergone gender reassignment. 9.4 Race The majority of those staff completing training were white Scottish / other white British / any other white background and accounted for 69 per cent.(83 per cent in 2017). For 34 per cent of staff this information was not disclosed / unknown (15 per cent in 2017) and 1.7 per cent were from minority ethnic groups. Staff receiving training is broadly reflective of the workforce profile with regard to ethnicity. 9.5 Religion or belief Religion or belief was unknown for 22 per cent of those staff who completed training. Sixteen per cent of staff disclosed Church of Scotland, 12 per cent Roman Catholic and 46 per cent disclosed no religion or belief. 9.6 Sexual orientation Sexual orientation was unknown for 11 per cent of those staff who completed training. Two per cent disclosed a sexual orientation of lesbian, gay man or bisexual. 9.7 Gender Of those staff taking part in training 41 per cent were women, compared with the overall workforce establishment of 40 per cent.

10. Discipline & grievance 10.1 Age

The number of instances of discipline in 2017/18 was 13 compared with 17 cases in 2016/17. The continued use of the significant adverse events review process has enabled SAS to adopt an approach which focuses on learning rather than punitive action. In addition to this a preliminary investigation process continues to be used to gather facts and understanding to inform decisions prior to formal investigations being undertaken. As numbers are very small it is difficult to analyse by age other than to state that the highest numbers of disciplinary activity have occurred across the age groups occupied by the greater proportion of staff.





A total of 20 grievances were raised during 2017/18 (32 in 2016/17). In addition there were 12 (9 in 2016/17) cases raised by staff under the dignity at work policy where concerns of bullying / harassment were alleged. 10.2 Disability No members of staff involved in discipline or grievance procedure disclosed they had a disability. 10.3 Gender reassignment None of the staff who went through discipline or were involved in the grievance procedure disclosed gender reassignment. 10.4 Race The pattern of discipline and grievance by ethnicity is broadly reflective of the workforce establishment with the majority identifying as white Scottish / white British. 10.5 Religion or belief and sexual orientation Given the very limited disclosed data available it is not possible to provide a breakdown by religion / belief and sexual orientation for analysis. 10.6 Gender Chart 21

The chart illustrates the number of men and women who have gone through the discipline or grievance procedure for the years 2014 - 2018. Of the instances of discipline and grievance during the period 2017/18 a higher proportion of men went through these processes than women. For discipline 84 per cent of activity involved men and for grievance 60 per cent involved men, compared with the workforce establishment of 60 per cent men.





11. Appraisals Appraisals were completed using the electronic Knowledge and Skills Framework system (eKSF). The availability of equality monitoring data is more limited as a result of the reporting structure through the eKSF system and individuals can provide anonymised details which cannot be tracked against personal records. In some instances, reports are not available, for example for gender reassignment, religion or belief and sexual orientation. The system for recording development activity across NHS Scotland is moving from eKSF to the Turas platform and full implementation began on 2 April 2018. Equality monitoring reports are being developed for the new system 11.1 Age Chart 22

The chart illustrates the number of staff completing appraisals by age group. This pattern is broadly reflective of the whole workforce profile. 11.2 Disability Of those staff completing appraisals 1.8 per cent disclosed disability. 11.3 Race Personal details held in the KSF system are limited with self disclosure for race at 82 per cent for those who had completed an appraisal with their line manager. The majority of staff completing appraisals were from white Scottish/ white other British backgrounds and these accounted for 80 per cent with 0.5 per cent form black and minority ethnic backgrounds. 11.4 Gender Thirty six per cent of those completing appraisals were women, a slight increase from thirty five per cent in 2017.





12. Redeployment A total of 18 staff were included on the redeployment register during the period 2017/18.This reflects change undertaken within the organisation, and adherence to the policy of no compulsory redundancies. This is a reduction on the number for 2016/17 when 49 staff were on the register. Twenty two per cent of staff (4) were on the register as a result of organisational change. Chart 23

Total Redeployed Awaiting 6 No longer requiring redeployment

Men 6 1 6 6

Women 12 1 4

18 2 10 6

The chart illustrates the number of staff that have been redeployed during this period, those still awaiting redeployment and those who no longer require to be redeployed. 12.1 Age Workforce between the ages of 41- 45 and 46 - 50 accounted for the largest proportion of those on the redeployment register. 12.2 Disability No staff on the redeployment register have disclosed a disability however 50 per cent on the register were those staff who were seeking alternative posts as a result of long term conditions/ ill health. 12.3 Gender reassignment None of the staff on the register disclosed they had undergone gender reassignment. 12.4 Race The majority of staff on the register disclosed that they were white Scottish / white British. This is in keeping with the workforce where the majority of staff self disclose as white Scottish / white British. 12.5 Religion or belief Of those staff on the register 38 per cent had disclosed religion or belief. 12.6 Sexual orientation Of those staff on the register 35 per cent had disclosed sexual orientation.





12.7 Gender Thirty three per cent of those staff on the register were female compared with 40 per cent of female staff in the workforce overall. One member of staff was listed on the redeployment register as a result of the end of a fixed term contract.

13. Conclusion We recognise that equality monitoring is a means and not an end in itself. The purpose is to have information to inform us about how well we reflect society in relation to diversity and protected characteristics. Work over several years indicates improvement in some areas however we are still striving to get robust equality data for our workforce, and to increase slef disclosure response rates. We are making progress, and our plans are set out in this report about areas where we would like to improve, and priorities to focus on. Our 5 year strategy "Towards 2020:Taking Care to the Patient" brings opportunities to recruit into our workforce, and to encourage current staff to consider development and different roles. The introduction of My Job Scotland for recruitment has improved our capacity for gathering, reporting and analysing equality data making the interrogation of recruitment data much more robust. The implementation of the self service element of the Electronic Employee Support System should support our drive to improve the equality data capture from our workforce.





14. Equality and diversity summary update The purpose of this summary is to provide high level update on some of the equality and diversity work that has been undertaken in 2017/18. More detail relating to this work is provided in the Mainstreaming Report that was published in April 2017. 14.1 Equality outcomes Equality outcomes were developed and published in April 2017 to cover the four year period April 2017 to March 2021. In developing the outcomes cognisance was taken of the work progressed on the outcomes set in 2013. The first three outcomes listed below relate to the provision of our service and build on the actions/initiatives taken during 2013/14 to 2016/17. The remaining outcomes relate to our workforce. Our seven equality outcomes cover all the protected characteristics. Further details can be seen at our Statement of Equality Outcomes here. As work commences to take the actions / initiatives forward for each of the outcomes the following provides a brief summary of some of the activity in the first year of the four year programme. 14.1.1 Through raised awareness of the Service there is improved access for underrepresented groups As the Services engages more widely with community groups we are able to raise awareness of the Service as a whole. In some cases, groups are not aware of the services provided or how they can access scheduled and unscheduled care services. This is being done in a number of different ways; through community events, links with groups across the different protected characteristics, meetings with partner organisations and with individuals. The services of contactScotland and the SMS service (short messaging text service) have helped to improve access for those who use British Sign Language or those who are deaf or have speech difficulty. Through our links with Sign Language Interpreters, who provide the contactScotland service on behalf of Scottish Government we are exploring ways that this service could be utilised for other groups. The use of Language Line Services continues to increase with over 1,200 calls being made to this service between April 2017 and March 2018 (1,100 – 2016/17). The patient needs assessment for scheduled care service was revised during 2017 and refinements are being made as we improve our support for mental ill health patients and those who have a learning disability. Our work on the Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest Strategy continues with training being provided across Scotland on CPR. 14.1.2 The experience of patients will improve through staff who are supported to deliver person centred care





The clinical team continue to work with partners and stakeholders to develop patient care pathways. Focus for this year has been on developing pathways for falls, mental health and for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) patients. A framework tool has been put in place to assist managers working on Patient Safety Quality Groups to develop pathways with stakeholders and partners locally. We work closely with health and social care partners to ensure there is responsive and continuity of care for patients. More patients are being referred to local health and social care partners than before. For example, the percentage of falls patients transported to hospital continues to reduce. We have seen a reduction in the percentage of falls patients age 65 and over from 77.3 per cent in 2013/14 to 72 per cent in 2016/17. 14.1.3 The SAS is fair and equitable in the way it delivers its services and involves and consults people We are working with partners at Police Scotland and Scottish Fire and Rescue Service to explore the ways we can improve access to emergency services. This work feeds in to the work undertaken by NHS National Boards to meet the requirements of the Scottish Government British Sign Language National Plan 2017 – 2023 developed to comply with the BSL (Scotland) Act 2015. In the second phase of the SAS ehealth ICT Strategy we are identifying ways in which communication with patients / carers can be enhanced through the use of cab based terminals. This includes considering options for the provision of language services including British Sign Language. Community resilience teams are engaging more widely with groups across the protected characteristics and we are receiving requests from a variety of community groups for CPR training. This provides opportunity for the involvement of individuals with SAS and helps to raise awareness of the services we provide and how to access these. 14.1.4 There is a cultural change towards a greater understanding of mental health and wellbeing in the workplace Through our work detailed in the Wellbeing Implementation Plan 2018/19 we will implement the ‘See me’ programme in summer 2018. This will raise the awareness of mental health issues and the impact of this on individuals. A number of managers have attended the mentally healthy workplace training under the healthy Working Lives programme. This has been well received with managers feeling more confident to support their staff, better equipped to promote a healthy workplace and they have been able to recommend the course to others. The 4 day Mindfulness Stress Reduction Training Programme has been delivered five times for staff across the service. This has been well received by participants with many reporting positive outcomes in the use of mindfulness techniques and how these can help in the work environment.





Policies have been reviewed and revised in keeping with the Partnership Information Network work life balance policy including; shared parental leave, career break, flexible working, home working and maternity leave/maternity support. 14.1.5 The Service is fair and equitable in the way it develops its policies and

strategies to ensure staff are treated fairly and consistently, with dignity and respect and in an environment where dignity is valued

The dignity at work policy has been promoted with managers to provide a framework for addressing issues of bullying and harassment. Issues raised under dignity at work are reported through National Partnership Forum. HR policies are promoted to support access and uptake through bulletins, on the intranet and through local HR teams. In partnership a number of areas of work are being taken forward through the Working Practices Steering Group including reviewing shift rosters, on call working practices and the management of overtime. We are working with staff to establish a virtual network for LGBT staff to enable regular dialogue to take place with a greater understanding of the needs and concerns of staff from this community. For the first time the iMatter staff engagement survey will be implemented across the whole of SAS at the same time in May 2018 and we are encouraging all staff to take part in this and have their say. 14.1.6 The Service supports and encourages staff and volunteers to provide

equality information and increases the diversity profile of the workforce across all equality groups.

The actions and initiatives being taken under this outcome are detailed in sections 4 and 5 of this report. 14.1.7 SAS is more responsive to the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual and

transgender staff and service users Work is underway to develop a Transgender policy to support managers and staff when individuals are going through the transition process. We are working closely with the National Ambulance Service LGBT Network and this has helped us to share leaning and best practice particularly by way of raising awareness of the needs of LGBT staff and patients. For example, we have used resources to promote this network for staff, increase understanding of transgender visibility and to raise awareness of LGBT history month. A partial submission was made to the Stonewall Scotland Workplace Equality Index in 2017 and we are considering the feedback from this in order to build actions in to our work in this area.





14.2 Equality Impact Assessments Thirteen equality impact assessments were published on the SAS website including the policies for learning development, performance and development review, organisational development plan and payment of volunteers. Equality impact assessment workshops were held in May, August and November for managers at National Headquarters with support provided throughout the year. 14.3 Equality & Diversity Steering Group This group meets bi-monthly and membership is made up of staff across a variety of job roles who work across the Service and have an interest in equality and diversity. During the last year the group have worked on the following;

Revising communication tools for disability

Developing content of equality reports for publication

Consultation responses, e.g. on the BSL Bil and National Gaelic Language Plan

Exploring options for work experience placements for young disabled people with Project

Search

Developing guidance for managers for transgender staff.

Developing equality materials for call handlers

Sharing local initiatives to promote equality, e.g. alert cards for patients with learning

difficulties.

14.4 Training 14.5 General Equality and diversity sessions were delivered for the Family Liaison Officers group and as part of the commanders course for the European Championships in Glasgow. 14.6 e-Learning module completion Module Number of staff

completing module before 31 March 2017

Number of staff completing module between 1 April 2017 – 31 March 2018

Total number of staff completing module by 31 March 2018

Gypsy Travellers awareness

539 557 1096

Respect module 2068 582 2650

Equality & diversity awareness

2227 534 2761





In keeping with the review of e-learning provision being undertaken by the education and professional development department consideration is being given to the status of these modules and whether they should be mandatory and statutory for all staff. The equality lead for SAS is working with a short life working group to develop equality and diversity training materials and resources that could be shared across NHS Scotland boards. 14.7 Trainee Technician Programme Trainee technicians cover several elements of equality and diversity in the Vocational Qualification programme including;

Communication

Diversity, equality, inclusion and discrimination

Person centred values

Privacy and dignity in care

Learning disabilities

Mental health

14.8 iMatter / Dignity at work Staff engagement was measured in 2017 by the results of the iMatter questionnaire and the dignity at work pulse survey. SAS achieved a 64 per cent response rate with an Employee Engagement Index (EEI) score of 67 per cent. The results for the whole of Health and Social Care in Scotland were 63 per cent response rate with a 75 per cent EEI score. The results of the questions relating to equality are shown below. Staff experience

employee engagement components

Percentage of staff completing the questionnaire who agreed with the question

Related questions 2015 2016 2017

I am treated with dignity and respect as an individual

Valued as an individual

70 72 73

I am treated fairly and consistently

Consistent application of employment policies and procedures

68 70 71

67 –

100%

Strive &

celebrate

51 – 66% Monitor to

further

improve

34 – 50% Improve to

monitor

0 – 33% Focus

to

improve





14.9 Dignity at work The dignity at work survey was distributed to all staff in November 2017 and 34 per cent of staff completed the survey compared with 36 per cent for NHS Scotland.

In summary the results, compared with the same questions answered in the National Staff Survey in 2015, showed the following;

Fewer are reporting unfair discrimination from managers and other colleagues

More reported being able to meet the conflicting demands on time at work

More staff think we have enough staff members to enable them to do their jobs properly

Significantly more say they feel safe to speak up about concerns and challenge wrongdoing

There has been a large reduction in numbers of staff experiencing abuse from patients and overall improvements in the satisfaction felt by staff members who reported it.

Areas of concern included the following;

A 3 per cent increase in staff reporting bullying or harassment form other colleagues

A 1 per cent increase in staff reporting bullying or harassment from staff and other colleagues

A drop in staff satisfaction when bullying or harassment is reported

A fall in the number of staff who said they had experienced emotional or verbal abuse but did not report it.

Demographic information was gathered from staff completing the survey however this was given on a voluntary basis and not all staff provided the information. For reasons of confidentiality the staff numbers completing demographic information was not shared with Health Boards and as a consequence of this it is not possible to provide a detailed analysis of results by equality groups. 14.10 Gender Women reported similar experiences of unfair discrimination and bullying and harassment as men but were more likely to report it and more likely to be satisfied with the outcome. 14.11 Sexual orientation LGBT staff experiencing incidents of unfair discrimination and bullying and harassment were more likely to report this than heterosexual staff and were less satisfied with the response. 14.12 Age Those staff age 51 – 65 experienced the highest percentage of incidents of unfair discrimination and bullying and harassment. This group were more satisfied with the outcomes for reporting bullying and harassment.





14.13 Ethnicity Whilst Black and Minority Ethnic groups did experience incidences of unfair discrimination and bullying and harassment as those staff disclosing white backgrounds fewer were reported. 14.14 Religion or belief There were similar experiences of unfair discrimination and bullying harassment for staff across all religious groups and no marked difference in experience for those disclosing no religion or belief. 14.15 Disability Fewer staff disclosing disability experienced unfair discrimination and bullying and harassment than those who did not disclose a disability.





Appendix 1

Equality Act (Specific Duties) (Scotland) Regulations 2012

Section 149 of the Equality Act 2010 imposes a duty on public authorities when exercising public functions to have due regard to the need to meet the 3 aims of the Public Sector General

Equality Duty

The aims of the Public Sector General Equality Duty are to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations

Equality mainstreamed into NHS policies and practice

7 Specific Equality Duties (Scotland)

Under the Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties) (Scotland) Regulations 2012, we are required to comply with the following duties;

o Report progress on mainstreaming the public sector equality duty o Publish equality outcomes and report progress o Assess and review policies and practices [impact assessment} o Gather and use employee information o Publish a statement on equal pay o Consider award criteria and conditions in relation to public procurement o Publish in a manner that is accessible

equality monitoring report - scottish ambulance service … · monitoring & update report 2017...

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